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(almost) all about royalty

I've been known as the tabloid queen (back in uni days), am still quite the tabloid junkie but mostly because I like to see what celebrities wear and how they're like when they're not acting.

Besides celebrities, I am also quite interested in royalty and aristocrats too. But not on their clothes, but their lineage and how they're related, what makes them a royal etc. You'll be surprised a lot of royal marriages are inter-monarchy back then, strict marriage rules but a lot have changed and marrying commoners are not so much of a big deal now.

In light of the "royal wedding of the decade", here are some random trivial stuff that i found interesting and thoughts I'd like to share about a few royal families I've read about.

When a Prince/Princess is Crown Prince/Princess, he/she is the heir/heiress apparent to the throne in a royal. But this seem to only apply to Scandinavian monarchies.

3. Why is a King's wife called a Queen but a Queen's husband not a King?

When a prince becomes king, his wife can become queen but it's not automatic as it is not a birth right for his wife. The king can grant his wife the title however, it is only a courtesy title, meaning it's not "real". The queen gained her title through her marriage with the king, she was not born with or inherited the title by blood. Just like how wives can take husbands' last name out of courtesy but they weren't born that name.

When a princess becomes queen, her husband cannot become king as he cannot gain that title from his wife. His Prince title was earlier given to him by the then-King. I.e. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of England, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark. Another reason is also because if the Queen's husband did, his title would be above the Queen's family which is false. I reckon is similar to how a woman's husband wouldn't take his wife's last name?

4. What will Kate Middleton's Official Title be?

As Kate has no royal or aristocrat background, she does not have a title of her own. Upon marriage, she will take her husband's first name and be known as HRH Princess William of Wales. In case you're wondering, Princess Diana was from an aristocrat background hence she kept her name.

It is suggested that the Queen could follow a precedent which she set in 1957, when she accorded her husband Prince Philip "the style and title of a Prince of the United Kingdom" in his own right. This means that the Queen could choose to make Kate a "Princess of the United Kingdom", in which case she would be known as HRH Princess Catherine.

5. Royals without Titles

There are royals who do not have a title but still can inherit the throne. That is because it is their birth right, it is by blood.

i.e. Zara Phillips, eldest grand daughter of Queen Elizabeth, 13th in line to the throne.

Andrea Casiraghi, eldest grand son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly, currently 2nd in line to the throne.

6. Keeping it Royal

For most of the royals, especially back then, their partners were mostly likely to be of royal or aristocrat descent.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, was the son of the King of Greece when Greece had a monarchy.

Princess Diana was the daughter of a Earl.

Camilla Bowles is the grand daughter of a Baron.

Queen Sofia of Spain was Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark.

7. It is Not Always Conventional and Conservative

The Crown Prince of Norway married a single mother (the father of her child was a drug user) and many Norwegians felt that the Crown Prince's choice of partner was inappropriate. But she became the Crown Princess of Norway nonetheless.

8. Royal Names

Okay, this one's just my random thought, kind of irrelevant and untrue too but it's just one of my crazy ideas. I think there is a higher possibility of your daughter marrying a prince if her name was 'royalty' enough. Like given the right name, she could be set on the path of marrying a royal/aristocrat.

Common princesses' names include Elizabeth, Ingrid, Mary, Margaret, Victoria, Katherine and their variations.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was born a commoner but her name is so fitting for a queen.

So is Catherine (Kate) Middleton. Can you imagine a queen being called Queen Jenna, Queen Bonnie, Queen Rita etc?

9. Harry, Prince of Wales

His real name is Prince Henry. Harry is kinda like a nickname.

I'll be watching the royal wedding on tv without a doubt! Have a great weekend!